Charles Mulligan


Charles J. Mulligan was an American sculptor. Born in Riverdale, County Tyrone, Ireland, Mulligan immigrated to America at the age of 17 and found work as a stone cutter in Pullman, Illinois, near Chicago.
He studied at the School of the [Art Institute of Chicago] with Lorado Taft, who was also working as an assistant at the time. During the Columbian Exposition in 1893, Taft made Mulligan the foreman of the workshop producing a large amount of sculpture for the exhibition. He later studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris with Alexandre Falguière.
Mulligan was the head of the sculptor department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was closely identified with the Chicago Beautiful movement. He participated as a judge in many events around the Chicago area, including beauty contests and sculptor competitions. Throughout his life, he chaired multiple committees and councils in Chicago with the aim of beautifying the city with affordable works of art. While most of his career was dedicated to classical sculpture and city beautification projects, he also had a fondness for folk art and often lent his expertise to local artists. Mulligan administrated an artists' colony in Bass Lake, Indiana that worked to host local artists that needed a place to work. During his time at Bass Lake, Mulligan would work in a number of folk mediums, including local flora.
Mulligan died on March 25, 1916, in Chicago. He died at St. Luke's Hospital accompanied by his wife and three children. At the time of his death, he had just been awarded a commission to build his design of a statue of Mad Anthony Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
He was buried at Mount Greenwood Cemetery.

Selected works